How to Tell the Future
by Lenasaurous
Summary: Every summer, crowds flock to have their fortunes read from the most reliable source in the country - Arthur. But they don't know that Arthur is that source and frankly, he'd like to keep it that way. That is until a childish blonde in glasses enters Arthur's life and turns it upside down. USUK Human AU probably slightly OOC. All rights to their respectful owners.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first Hetalia fan fiction! I'm really excited and really proud of this story so far. i wrote it in a minibus on the way to Devon, so when i get back, read this, and find that it's probably the best thing I've ever written I became really excited. I've been wanting to post this for a while but first I wanted to finish a one-shot I've been working on but I gave up on that when I realized how amazing this was and that I had soooo many ideas for it. Anyway; I hope that you enjoy my first fan fic about my ultimate OTP. (don't ask) ENJOY!**

* * *

"Honestly, I have no Idea why I have signed up to this." I exasperated.

"Because you're broke, you know that. We all are around here, not mention that when you don't sign yourself up your brother does anyway." I rolled my eyes at the response. I was sat on the edge of the pier with a co-worker, Elizabeta, as the stalls were being placed out on the promenade. The sun was rising above the horizon, the golden morning rays scattering over the great expanse of water. Mornings were always early.

"Yes, I know. It just annoys me that I'm forced to do _what_ I do." I kicked up a spray of water in front of me. The summers were hot here, unlike back home where it still rains most of time.

"Well, you do say you know black magic. I guess Alistair just interprets it wrong." She nudged me with her elbow so I splashed her in response. "Hey mind the dress." I chuckled and pulled my feet out of the water.

"There is a difference between the dark arts and petty fortune telling my dear." I stood up and shook the excess water off of my feet. I grabbed my socks and shoes and pulled them on.

"Are you leaving so soon?" Elizabeta looked up at me as I brushed myself off.

"I'm afraid so. Alistair said he'd meet me there at nine. Gotta get there quick; anyway, I'll see you at the tent later." I nodded to her before I began walking away.

"Okay goodbye!"

I wasn't that too far to where Alistair had decided to set up so it didn't take long to get there. All kinds of people were setting out tents and activities to wring money out of tourists. Colourful signs and interesting contraptions lined the promenade, lighting up the place. Some buildings were permanently stationed; these tended to be shops or cafés due to the kitchen and storage areas required. I instantly recognised the mop of bright red fluff my brother called hair and hurried over.

"Oh Arthur, there you are; took you long enough." I rolled my eyes and bent over him. He was crouched on the ground, apparently fiddling with something electronic.

"Are you done yet, I'd like to get out of sight before the masses pour in." Despite being the fortune teller no one even knew who I was. It's a little depressing but less embarrassing.

"Yeah, yeah, your area is set and ready. Go make yourself at home." he waved me away but then turned back around. "Is Lizzy still on the pier?" I gave him a curt nod before making my way through the tent to the very back. The tent was comprised of two areas: one being the stage and the other being where I sit. I settled down in the leather office seat brought from home and looked at the equipment I had on offer.

The space was mainly comprised of a simple table laden with my bags which contained my equipment. Above it, set into the one way curtain, was a screen which allowed me to look onto the stage. Thankfully, all sound flowed through it like it was under microphone but none flowed back. I began to set out what I would need and when I was finished, set my feet up on the table top. That was when I saw Lizzy enter the tent. She waved at me through the screen and I gave her a smile in return. I watched as she made her way around to my area of the tent.

"Hi, I see you're ready to go." She looked at my instruments then back to me. "I still don't completely understand how you do it."

"No one really does, I've been doing it since I was little. Oh right, here." I handed her an earpiece of which she accepted. Quickly she popped it into her ear and stepped over to the other side of the tent. On top of the table, among the many other obscure objects, sat a microphone; I leaned into it and gave it a try. "Can you hear me?" She nodded in response.

"We're all set and ready to entertain the crowds." She beamed. "How is it you always know what to say to the customers?"

"You learn over the years. Telling them the truth and making it sound all pretty. You definitely help though." I winked at her and leaned back in my seat. She just rolled her eyes. Suddenly Alistair poked his head through the entrance.

"People have started arriving, get ready." And with that, Lizzy took her seat and looked ready. She gave me a thumbs up and lowered the one way screen which comes down pure black, or so to my knowledge.

* * *

It wasn't that long until the first customers came through and sat down. The usual procedure took place. I did the normal practice and waited for their question. The deal is that they have a basic fortune telling, Lizzy then reads their palm (she taught herself) and the customer then asks a single question of which I answer. Also we won't serve a customer twice in one year. For everything that Liz can't do herself, I tell her what to say through the earpiece. That's how our business works. The customer is always very happy, seeing as everything is always right; we do use correct methods after all. What do you expect? It's one of the reasons we make anything at all, we're renowned for being accurate.

At midday we shut shop for lunch. I took the back entrance, so that no one would associate me with the actual act. I went to find Lizzy who was probably at the cafe a little ways down the promenade. I found her sitting at a table near the door to the kitchen. I went over to join her, sitting myself to her right.

"Hello Arthur, good job by the way. The crowds seemed pleased." She took a bite out of whatever it was she had brought, I'm pretty sure it's a meal from her home country.

"Thank you dear, I'm going to need to stock up soon, I'm drilling through all of my supplies. I'll be out before we know it." I grumbled as I took a bite out of my own lunch. Scones, naturally.

"Well we can't have that; I suggest you go fetch them on Monday while you have the chance."

After that we picked up casual conversation, enjoying the little time we got to relax by a beach without being trapped in a stuffy tent. Unfortunately, we had a little visit from a certain someone.

"_Bonjour _mes amis! How are we this fine summer's day?" I groaned and rolled my eyes at the arrival of an old friend, as one might say I _guess_.

"Well, it was splendid before you showed your face, _frog_." I spat in his direction. A mock look of hurt crossed his overly elegant features.

"Surely you don't mean that? We have known each other for who knows how long." He pouted, leaning his arms on the table.

"Exactly, you get sick of a face after a while." I looked to see Elizabeta giggling to herself as we put on our usual greetings.

"Good morning Francis." She greeted him with a cheerful smile as he took a seat across from us. "How's business been this morning?"

"Oh nothing amazing, I saw you getting quite a bit though." He adorned a slight smirk as he looked in my direction. Francis also happened to know of my 'hobby', as he enjoyed calling it. It's something that comes with knowing someone for a good portion of your life, such as all of it. I also knew _more_ than enough about him, some of which I wish I didn't.

"Shouldn't you be in the kitchen; attending to the rush hour? It seems busy." I looked around the crowded dining area, making note of all of the faces present. "You know, as owner of the place."

"Oh Arthur, don't worry. We're on top of staff today. Besides; I heard we had some guests who weren't buying." I shook my head and took the last bite out of my lunch as if to define how right he was.

"And so…?"

"I thought I'd join you." He propped his feet up on the table. "Besides, I heard something juicy and thought Liz would like to hear." His fingers began to drum on the table absentmindedly. I wanted to leave so badly, his voice alone was getting on my nerves but if I did I'd have to speak to my brother, and I did _not _want to do that. It may be possible that I hate him more than the frog who sat in front of me. Comes with having a sibling I suppose.

"Really!? Do share." Lizzy leaned in, happily awaiting the gossip. I pretty much zoned out, smiling inwardly at the way my two friends acted like a pair of schoolgirls. I looked down at my watch, noting the time and tapped my co-worker on the shoulder.

"We need to be going, our break's nearly over. So sorry to say goodbye Francis but duty calls, does it not." I quickly dragged her off, getting as far away from that place as possible.

"That was abrupt, you could have at least let me say goodbye." Liz complained as we drew to a halt outside the tent.

"If we had stayed any longer I may have exploded. Now let's get going." I took a step through the drapes and headed towards the parting.

"You know, Francis was telling me some really interesting things." She slyly took her seat and looked back at me.

"Like…?" I put one hand on my hip and held one half of the walls fabric in the other.

"Well, according to one of his waitresses, there's a certain attractive pair of brothers wondering around today." Her eyes narrowed and a very mischievous smile made its way onto her face.

"And you know their brothers because?" I began to tap my foot impatiently, looking forward to an excuse to get to my seat.

"They're apparently very obviously twins. Oh look, we need to get ready, I hope you are." Leaving me slightly perplexed she turned around, apparently finished. I slid into my area and awaited the next wave of customers.

* * *

The wave came and went and the sun slowly sank into the sky. The afternoon is always a _lot _longer than the morning as we run from half one until nine in the evening. So when Alistair poked his head through the main entrance to say we were finished I took a deep sigh and slumped back in my seat. _What a long day_. The afternoon had dragged along and I wanted to fall asleep there and then. Slowly, I packed up all of my belongings and picked up the bag I kept them in, heading towards the back entrance. I stepped out and stretched, ready for a quick goodbye to Liz and to hurry home for a cup of tea.

"Hey dude!" A loud racket suddenly filled my ears and it took a moment to register what was going on. Some stranger had just greeted me as I stepped out of my own temporary place of work. _What is wrong with the world__?_

"Who the bloody hell are you?" I gave the stranger a scowl and tried to walk off, but they stopped me in my tracks.

"Wait a sec. Please..." I turned to look at them, preparing myself for whatever questions they might have. Basically I was going to deny everything. I got a good look at the person stood before me. Male, young, slightly taller, blonde hair, blue eyes, glasses... There was no doubt that this was an attractive man, but at that point in time I quite honestly didn't care. Suddenly a huge grin plastered across his face and he started bouncing on the balls of his feet. "How do you do it!?"

"Um... What?" Most people ask whether it is me, this one seemed to think he just _knew, _almost as if was obvious that I was the one to ask about the act and methods used. I mean I was, but that's beside the point.

"You know; how you tell people's fortunes and always get it right!" He seemed over-excited and his constant jittering was beginning to get on my nerves.

"If you're just going to make false accusations, then I'll be on my way. I have a very important meeting with a cup of tea and it is mandatory that I see to it." I turned on my heel and made in the direction of home, all ideas of bidding Liz a goodbye completely vanished in an instant.

"No stop! Come on, it's obvious that you're the guy who does all of it, that girl doesn't!" He chased after me grabbing my shoulder and swinging me back around in his direction.

"I suggest you don't talk about my friend in that manner, it's extremely impolite to criticise those you don't know." I scolded him like a harsh nanny and turned around once again. I really wanted my tea.

"I'm not criticising her at all. She puts up a wonderful act, but you can see that she listens to what to say through an earpiece. You know, the way she lingers for far too long and never stumbles over her words as if someone has done it for her." It couldn't be denied, this was an intelligent young man but I had no intention of letting the act slip just yet. I couldn't be bothered to answer and tried to plough homeward again. "No, I'm not finished!" This boy really was resilient. "I know how the whole thing works, why keep up the act! How do you always get it right?"

"Even if I did do the genuine fortune telling, which I do _not_, then why would I ever tell some _stranger_ the key to my work?" Annoyance was strongly running through my words now, tone on edge and the words being spat.

"Then let's get to know each other! I'm Alfred!" He grabbed my hand and shook it hard. "And what's your name?" I winced under his intense grip and shook my hand off when he let it go.

"Urgh, it's Arthur, if that makes any difference. Now leave me _alone_. I could report you for harassment."

"Oh, you wouldn't do that." He waved off my threat like it was nothing! The nerve. Seriously, I couldn't see the point of all this pestering. "Now we know each other, there."

"Honestly, just leave me alone you bloody wanker!" I stormed off in a frenzy but once again he just pulled me back around.

"Fine, then don't tell me anything. I'm not going to give up but if you refuse to tell me then we'll hang out first, and _then_ I'll ask. Okay?!"

"No! Stop pestering me. I need to go home right now so I'm going to walk off and you're going to stay put." I turned again, thankful when I made three paces without being assaulted.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" Alfred shouted at me from where he stood, seeming to be acting obedient.

"Well what do you think?" And with that I was off on the short walk home. Opening the door to my own residence was heavenly and I sank into the sofa in my living room, embracing the warm and comfort and lack of loud noises that it produced. I fell asleep right there, but not until I had downed a cup of earl grey.

* * *

**Okay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I read it about 6 times looking for mistakes so it should be pretty good grammar wise. Anyway, stay tuned, and I'll try to get the next chapter out soon! This was Alpha so long and thanks for all the pasta! (the thanks will change for each series I write about)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay, hey guys. be used to irregular updates, please. I am not reliable in that sense but I love this story so I hope to get a lot out over the Christmas holiday. I hope it's okay, I wrote most of this from 8-11:30 pm so it might be a little haphazard, repetitive or just bad spelling. Anyway, remember that any questions, comments or requests (if any at all) should be stuck in the reviews. I love reading them. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

"Oh Arthur there you are! I didn't see you off last night, did something happen?" Elizabeta rushed up to me as I made my way towards the tent. She was already dressed up in her flouncy dress and light brown hair drawn back in a loose ponytail like normal.

"Yes, sorry about that. I got assaulted by one of _those _people." Her eyes widened but then a look of understanding washed over her face. This happened every now and then, we were both used to it by now.

"Oh dear, not again; did you get rid of them?" We started to make our way over to the tent, minding the others around us setting up their areas; occasionally saying hello to those who had the time. Everyone knew us around here by now, we came every year, but then again most do.

"Of course… eventually… the boy was _really_ persistent and I fear that he'll be around again today. However, I'll be cooped up for most of the day; I might ask Ali if we can pack up a little earlier than normal though…" I started to drone on. It wasn't long before we arrived at our destination and Alistair rushed us in, making sure I got ready before tourists started arriving. The sun was only just rising but sometimes you get early birds from the hotels across the way.

I got into my area of the tent and set out my equipment. It was only then that I remembered I hadn't eaten anything this morning. I woke up later than normal and had to rush out without breakfast or even a cup of tea to get the day started. I made my quick absence known before I headed out the back of the tent in the direction of Francis' place. However much I hated that man, his staff made decent tea. I entered the small café's dining area and approached the counter; happy to find that Francis was nowhere in sight.

"Oh good morning Arthur," The young girl at the counter greeted me as I approached. "…what can I get you; tea?" I smiled warmly and rested my arms on the countertop.

"Yes, thank you Michelle, and a slice of carrot cake if you wouldn't mind, dear." She smiled back and nodded, quickly attending to my order. Francis and I had known Michelle for a while, sweet girl really; for someone who works for the frog.

"No breakfast this morning then?" She asked as she bent down to pull my cake from the display. I yawned and nodded in response, running my hands through my messy hair, which was untameable even when I wasn't half asleep. "Not enough sleep either it seems." I chuckled at her remark.

"Too right; I got home a little later than usual. I slept _dreadfully _and woke up late too… so here I am…" The two items were placed in front of me and I reached into my pocket for my wallet. After pulling out a few notes I set them on the surface, grabbed my order and turned to leave, nodding Michelle a goodbye beforehand. I took a sip of the scolding hot drink in my hand, sighing at the welcoming taste and numbness of my tongue which had long been made used to extremely hot temperatures. I caught sight of the tent and began to quicken my pace when,

"Yo, Arthur!" I stopped in my tracks, terrified out of my right mind. The loud, childish voice which had scarred my eardrums the previous night was back and it brought dread with it. "Hey dude, wassup?" I winced at his butchering of the English language,_ typical American_. I slowly tuned my head up to look at him, meeting the giant grin covering his face. My primal instinct was telling me to run but my right mind was reminding me that that would be both rude and suspicious.

"Good morning um… Alfred… you're here early." I decided that it would be best to talk my way out of this as quickly as possible. Or Alistair might get stressed due to my absence.

"Yep, you said you'd be here today. So I came to find you." I groaned at the memory, though I never said I would; I made him guess. _Thank god I won't be here tomorrow._

"Well I have to be off, Elizabeta won't be happy if I'm not there when the crowds roll in." I tried walking off, happy when he didn't turn me back around, especially considering that I had hot water in my hand and my breakfast in the other. But then I realized something. I turned around to find Alfred directly behind me. "Oh bugger off will you?" His smile dropped and he became slightly depressed. "I have work I need to get to."

"Fine, but I _will_ be back at lunch." And with that he turned and started to walk off, sulking. _What a child_. I entered the back of the tent and made sure everything was in order. I let the other two know that I was back and ready, and then made my way back to my 'desk' to eat my breakfast, the tea of which had started to cool down.

* * *

The morning passed quickly and half twelve came around far too quickly. I really didn't want to meet Alfred again; he just got on my nerves even if I had only met the boy twice. I cautiously took a peek outside before running to Francis' place. I arrived panting, being welcomed with questioning looks from Liz and Francis, who'd already joined her. I fell heavily into the seat next to Liz and let my head fall into my hands.

"Just get me something; I don't care what it is." Liz got up to order something as soon as the words left my mouth. I looked up and checked the surroundings before sitting up and turning to Francis, scowling at the realization that I'd been left alone with him. He rolled his eyes at my reaction and leant back in his chair, crossing one leg delicately over the other.

"So Arthur, what was all of that about?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at me expectantly. I couldn't be bothered to answer though and instead rested my forehead on the table in front of me, dreading the moment he would find me. I knew he would eventually but I might as well postpone it as long as possible. "Come on, what you are up to? You haven't run like that since the first time you met Ivan." I shuddered at the memory; _he is one scary guy_.

"In complete honesty… I'm avoiding someone." For a few seconds Francis just stared at me, seemingly unable to decide on how to react. However once those seconds had passed he let a smirk fall into place, narrowing his eyes and chuckling.

"And who might you be wishing to get away from? I've always known you to be tolerant of people. I mean you put up with _me_ don't you?" I rolled my eyes and grunted in agreement. I had gained enough self-control through Francis to tolerate even the worst of people, also it isn't very gentlemanly to avoid people. But I swear, Alfred was worse than Francis, at least he could tell when he wasn't wanted.

"ARTHUR!" The loud, childish voice registered immediately and I began to panic.

"Hide me!" I looked to Francis desperately and he pointed at the door to the kitchen. I took his advice immediately and raced for the door, leaving a very confused Francis in my wake. I hid behind the wall, listening to the conversation that unfolded after my dramatic exit.

"Yo, Francis; have you seen a guy about? He's a little shorter than me, crazy hair, really bright green eyes and has two giant, furry caterpillars on his forehead, otherwise known as eyebrows." So, Francis knew Alfred, okay… how? Why? Urgh, seriously that frog is an odd one.

"Euh… you mean Arthur Kirkland? Non, sorry Alfred, I haven't seen him this morning." Yep, they know one another. However I, regretfully, owe Francis one for having my back. I heard Alfred thank him and leave, taking it as my queue to peek around the door frame to make sure the coast was clear. Sure enough it was and I walked back out to my table and retook my seat. Looking over to my… whatever he was… starting to calm down.

"Th-th-tha-thank-k-k… um… th-thank y-y-y-y-you. Thank you Francis; for… helping me." I swallowed my pride and thanked him. He shook his head and laughed at my struggled, smiling in return.

"It's fine mon ami, but I have one question. Why would you ever want to avoid someone like Alfred? I mean he's positively delightful, in more ways than one." Of course Francis would think about looks first and foremost, but it seemed that Francis was talking about someone completely different. Alfred was far from being delightful, or anything like it.

"Are you sure that we're thinking of the same person?" I leaned forward on my elbows, giving him a wide eyed look.

"Well of course, I'm assuming we are both referring the young man of whom I was just speaking to." I nodded in affirmation. "Well how can you not think he is wonderful? He is fun, energetic and quite the looker while we're at it. He also has the same sexual preference as us." He let the smirk grace his features once again, this time he seemed to be a little more flirtatious though.

"Okay two things; first off, why does that matter and secondly… how do you even know that?" Francis had a tendency to know unnecessary and strange information about other people, but this was just crazy.

"His brother told me. Quite the looker himself; a lot more innocent then Alfred, Mathieu is. I'd be all over him in a second if he wasn't already taken." I was still bewildered at his response when Liz came and set my drink in front of me, along with a box of fish and chips. I looked down at them, still a little confused, at first but my open mouth soon turned into a pleasant smile.

"Thank you Lizzy, you really didn't have to." I opened the box and sighed happily at the comforting smell of traditional British fish and chips. There was a shop down the road ran by another English family, by far the best sellers in the area.

"You seemed stressed, I figured you needed it. What was wrong anyway?" She delicately crossed her ankles and tucked them beneath her chair.

"He was avoiding someone." Francis answered for me as I already had a mouth full of potato. "Do remember the two young men I told you about yesterday? It's the younger of the two, Alfred. He's been looking for him and Arthur would rather not be found." Francis seemed very happy with the predicament and I didn't see why he should be.

"Oh _them, _wow. They sounded like such nice boys though." She lightly put her head on her knuckles and looked to me. Suddenly a look of surprise washed over he face. "Arthur, was Alfred the naysayer from last night?" My mouth was still full but this time with fish and a small amount of tomato ketchup. I nodded and swallowed loudly.

"Yes dear, he was. He caught me this morning as well. I was expecting his visit as he vowed to find me again at lunch. It's stressful, no doubt about it. He's the most determined one I've ever met, but he doesn't seem to be in it for proving us fraud, just the method." I poked the wooden fork into another chip and stuffed it in my mouth.

"Well, if that's all he wants then let his sit in for a morning session. He seems to be a reliable boy, I don't see the harm in it." Lizzy suggested. I thought about it for a second, considering the possibility. It seemed a good idea but what would Ali say? He'd go ape-shit if I did that. I'd have to ask him first, considering he basically runs the business.

"We'd have to ask Alistair first." I shrugged and turned back to my lunch.

"Arthur…" Francis started but I decided to ignore him, indulging myself in the reminder of home, nostalgia flooding through me. "Euh, Arthur I really think you should look up…" I looked at him and blinked a few times waiting for the reason for disturbance. "…haaa, too late" Confused, I cocked my head to the side, and sure enough, Francis was correct.

"FOUND YOU!" I felt fear flood through me and make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I didn't dare to react so I tried to pretend I hadn't heard him and carried on with my meal. "Arthur… hey dude look up." I didn't respond, forcing myself to carry on eating as naturally as possible. "Arthur~" I gritted my teeth and carried on chewing. He grabbed my face between his hands and turned me to look at him, squishing my cheeks in a childish way. I looked directly into his bright blue eyes to find him pouting at my decision to ignore him. It was funny really but I daren't laugh.

"What do you want? _I_ just want to eat my lunch in peace." I furrowed my brow and looked at him, annoyed, waiting for my face to be released. But it wasn't. His face just morphed back into the huge grin he adorned in the last two of our meetings as he started to pinch my cheeks even more. "Oi, stop that you git. What do you think you're doing?"

"Aww, you look so cute with your face all squished like that." I batted his arms away, a look of disbelief scarring my face and sanity. "Oh come on, you looked adorable!" He went to grab my face again but I made sure to stop him.

"No stop that. I'm neither toy nor child to be played with. Just leave me alone." I turned away from him again and stuffed a large chunk of fish into my mouth, but it was a bit too big and I started choking. Before I knew it, Alfred had me in his arms and the food was out in a flash. "Urgh, get off of me." I pushed him off and brushed myself down, before looking back to him, waiting for something else. "What do you want?"

He looked at me, with both childlike fear and innocence. His mouth opened but nothing came out at first, just stuttering. I sighed and looked back to my company. They shrugged, so I dragged him off somewhere that he wouldn't be under pressure. "Um… I'm sorry…"

"Urgh it's fine, just what do you want?" he seemed to be putting his words in the right order before he spoke, making his request.

"I want to know how, but you said that you wouldn't tell a stranger so I thought… maybe we could become friends instead and then you'd tell or show me." He looked away, realizing how immature he sounded. Everything about this boy was childlike, despite his appearance, minus his face.

"I figured. Look, I'll talk to my brother about seeing if you can sit in for a couple of hours, Liz thought of it and it didn't seem to be a bad idea. But if not; there isn't much I can do about it. It's all up to Alistair, he runs this thing and what he says goes. Trust me, I'm not here every summer because I want to be." I looked to see hope glinting in his eyes but it quickly disappeared.

"And if not?"

"Well err…" Well if not then he'd just have to drop the whole thing. "Look, if all you want is to spend some time with me I have a day off tomorrow." His whole face lit up like a Christmas tree as I finished my sentence.

"Okay, meet me here tomorrow at ten then." He seemed happy so I nodded in approval.

"Yes, okay. Just please, leave me alone for the rest of the day." He smiled brightly and followed me back to my seat as we headed back to see the other two.

"Sorry for bothering you Francis. You too… is it Elizabeth?" the one in question chuckled and shook her head.

"It's Elizabeta."

"Oh, sorry again, I'll see ya around. Bye Arthur, see ya tomorrow!" And with that he rushed off, obviously ecstatic. The other two looked at me suspiciously but I was back to my food, cutting up smaller pieces, making sure not to relive the previous events.

* * *

**There we go. Hope it was okay. I found it funny to write, with the face squishing bit. I love cute stuff.**

**Okay, so I realised after releasing the chapter that I forgot to mention any translations, if they're needed. I dunno, oh well. So here are some in case you didn't know. Also, I'm taking french and have done since I was six so I'm okay at it. All my french comes from my head, yay! Also any German that I include in here will too as I took German for three years. Everything else was looked up.**

**Non - (if you don't know this then my faith in humanity is crushed) No**

**Mon Ami - my friend, this is used when referring to a male friend. In the previous chapter Francis said 'mes amis' which is the mixed plural of my friends.**

**Euh - this is the French equivalent "of um..." "or errm..." otherwise known as a defluency.**

**Bonjour - hello (same case as non)**

**This one isn't French but 'haaa' is my way of verbalising a sigh, thank you black butler (kuroshitsuji) for introducing me to this method. Also one other thing; no, I don't spell things wrong, I'm just English. I do spell 'jail' as 'gaol' don't judge.**

**Anyway, see you next time. Don't forget to review! This was Alpha, so long and thanks for all the Pasta!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Guys! This took me a while to write but I'm glad I got it right. it was difficult to figure out what the two would do while out, thank my friend, Stephano, for inspiration. Heads up, I have the incapability to spot when I'm just creating exposition so please excuse that. See ya at the end!**

* * *

I woke up, not entirely looking forward to the day ahead. I made a list of places I'd need to go afterwards, including restocking on supplies for work. _It never leaves me for a second, that job._ I made a quick list of things I needed and promptly headed out at 9:30. After arriving at Francis' place, I found that Alfred was late so I chatted with Emma, another of the staff working there. She was happy to natter away as if she had an overdose of caffeine while I waited. She's always been a _very _social butterfly

"Hey Artie!" I instantly tensed and turned around stiffly. "Sorry I'm late; Mattie needed me to drop him off at… are you okay?" My eye was twitching and my shoulders were tense.

"Don't call me that." I hated being called 'Artie', it just showed a lack of respect. Alfred's face changed into one of surprise rather than the previous concern.

"Why? It's just a name, nothings meant by it except that it's a friendly gesture." He had a point but I still didn't like it. But I figured that he probably wouldn't stop. "Oh, hey Emma!" He waved at said girl and waved, smiling brightly. "How's Abel, I haven't seen him in a while."

"Oh, he's fine. He's been less reserved since he met Mathew though; it's nice to see him a little more social." She smiled back, sweetly. Presumably talking about her brother, never met the lad really. "Have fun." She turned back to what she was meant to be doing and we left the area.

"So what did you have in mind? Walking along the beach for an hour and a half isn't something that would interest me greatly, considering my place of work." I was curious as to what it was he wanted to do exactly, but when I looked up at him after not receiving my answer I found him deep in thought. "You didn't plan anything did you?" He shook his head. "That's just bloody brilliant, isn't it?"

"Hey, let's go shopping!" He seemed pretty chuffed with his last minute decision.

"That's what teenage girls do when they meet up." He pouted. _Child._ "Fine, do you have a vehicle?" He nodded again and dragged me off by the arm. We arrived at the promenade car park and he stopped in front of a classic American car.

"D'ya like 'er?" I looked up to him scowling.

"Try again." He frowned at me confused. "…in English." He rolled his eyes when he finally got what I meant.

"Do. You. Like. My. Car?" he made sure to pronounce every word perfectly. I smiled in victory and looked to the car in question. It was a black Impala; it was in beautiful condition and looked newly painted.

"Yes I do. It's rather stunning really. It can't be new can it, too old a model?" He seemed to be happy that I'd taken an interest in his automobile. It _was_ nice though.

"Yeah it's pretty old. I had it painted black a few weeks back, it used to be blue. I'm pretty happy with the colour change." I nodded in agreement and made my way over to the passenger door, opening it and closing it gently. Alfred got in the other side and buckled up. I followed suit and soon enough we were off. The engine purred softly as we moved swiftly through the seaside town. It really had taken on a very touristic feel and made gullible tourists its main target audience. However it seemed that Alfred was heading further away from the coast.

"Where are we going exactly?"

"To the non-tourist area in town, that's the only place in the city that isn't tacky as hell." I chuckled at his comment, knowing that I agreed fully.

* * *

Once we arrived, we quickly made our way onto the street, looking around for somewhere to go into. It wasn't long before I saw my favourite bookshop. "Do you mind if we go in there?" I pointed in the direction of the store, he didn't seem impressed.

"A bookstore~?" He whined.

"Yes, a bookstore. Don't tell me that you're so immature that you won't even go near books." I sighed and made my way over, Alfred sulking behind me. "Do you like comics?" He nodded. "I haven't been into a single bookshop that didn't sell a wide variety of them, now come on." I dragged him through the doors into the shop. It wasn't very crowded but that wasn't a bad thing. I walked over to the desk and caught the attention of the man sitting behind it. He was reading when I coughed, interrupting his progress.

"How can I…" he bookmarked his page and looked up. "…oh, hello Arthur, it's been a while." He placed his book down and looked at me expectantly.

"Good morning Eduard. I was in the area and thought it was about time I came in again. For the sake of Alfred," I looked behind me to the oaf in question, who was absentmindedly looking around, "…where are the graphic novels?" He smiled knowingly, we all knew people like him, and stepped out from behind the desk.

"This way." I pulled Alfred along, and out of his curious looking, close behind Eduard. He stopped in a corner and pointed to two large bookcases full of graphic novels.

"That's a lot of comics…" Alfred sighed and looked over the collection. "It's more than I have at home, nice. Thanks Artie." He turned to the bookcases and began to browse, not noticing when Eduard froze in shock. I tutted and turned in the direction of adult fiction. Only once I got there did I realize Eduard was still in close proximity.

"You didn't get mad?" He seemed slightly stunned at my lack of reaction. "You go crazy when someone calls you that."

"I realised that he's never going to _not_ call me that when he wants to so I've just decided to grit my teeth and bear it." I turned to many more bookshelves covered in my kind of literature.

"I didn't think that was possible, I'll be at the counter if you need me." And with that he was gone. I liked Eduard, he was mature and intelligent; unlike most of the people I know, I say most because a fair few of them are okay.

* * *

After a good while of browsing in the bookshop we made our way out, a heavy bag hanging from Alfred's hand, holding both mine and his buys. I looked to my watch to check the time, noticing that it was midday.

"Do you fancy going for lunch?" I asked looking around to see if there was anywhere decent to eat.

"Sure where D'ya want go?" I scowled again and he seemed to catch it. "Where do you want to go?" I shook my head at his obvious over pronunciation.

Catching sight of a nice place I nodded and headed in the direction. "How do you feel about Italian?" He looked pretty happy with the idea of Pizza and ice cream_. I'll take that as a yes_. I opened the door to the quaint Italian restaurant, and was greeted by loud and aggressive Italian insults coming from the kitchen. _There's Lovino. I hope Feli serves us_. I thought as I went over to said young man who was standing by the kitchen door nervously.

"Good afternoon Feli, debating whether or not to go in?" He jumped and turned around to greet me, looking sheepish at his predicament. It was actually nice to look down on someone once in a while, it was one of the reasons I enjoyed coming here, though the food is superb.

"Sì Arthur. Lovi is mad at Toni and don't know whether to go in or not. Anyway, can I get you two to a table?" He smiled brightly and hopped over to a table letting us sit down. After handing us menus he looked back to the kitchen worriedly.

"Why is Antonio even here? I'd offer to sort it out but…" Lovino was one of the most aggressive people I'd ever met but he was incredibly weak, however he was a noisy bugger and I felt it best to stay away from him when possible.

"No Arthur it's fine, I'll just… haaa, I'll go see if there's any food to be served. I'll be back in a bit. And with that he cautiously made his way over to the kitchen and opened the door, making his way inside.

"Dude, do you know everyone?" I turned to Alfred who had made himself comfortable. I gave him a questioning look. "You seem know everyone around here."

"I've lived here for a long time, it's only natural. I've known the Vargas brothers," I gestured towards the kitchen "since I was about fourteen and I met Eduard only a few years back." I picked up a menu and started to scan the meals, I knew a lot of the menu inside and out but I can't remember most of the Italian names for the stuff.

After deciding on what I wanted I sat the menu back on the table and looked around. It was pretty busy for a Monday but nothing out of the ordinary, everyone loved this place. Alfred seemed to be a little confused with the menu so I pulled it down to lay it out on the table. "Any idea of what you want _without_ looking at the menu?" He shrugged. "Seriously?"

"Pizza?" I sighed and pointed to a section of the card.

"This is the pizza section. The descriptions are all in English. Just in case though, that's the pasta, and the drinks are on the back." He nodded and began to study it again. Soon enough the yelling ceased and out came Feli holding a few plates of food for the other guests. After he had set them down on the appropriate table he came back over to us ready to take our order.

"Ready?" I nodded and we ordered what we wanted. After making sure he had the correct order he skipped off to the bar at the back of the room. I looked back to Alfred ready to ask something.

"Since we have nothing better to do, do you mind if I pick up a few things after we're done here?" He hummed and nodded. I smiled in appreciation and reached into my pocket, pulling out the list I made that morning. "So I'm going to need to stop by there… oh that one's only around the corner… ah and I'll have to see them…" I murmured to myself as I went through my list, making a mental note of what I had to do. However Alfred grabbed the small piece of paper while I was going through my mental checklist. "Oi, give that back you wanker!" I went to snatch it back but Alfred held it out of my reach while pushing me back.

"You have a weird shopping list. The only thing on here that looks normal is milk, that and coke. What does it mean by pure?" I got out of my chair, stomped over to his side of the table and I quickly took it back and sat down again, stuffing it back into my pocket.

"It's talking about purified coal, _that's_ what it means by pure. And it's none of your business what I buy." It was then that Feli came over carrying our drinks. "Thank you Feli." He bobbed off again and I took a sip from my glass. "What?"

I felt the stare resting over me as I looked down at the table. "I'm looking forward to seeing the places you decide to go."

* * *

We strode out of the restaurant; myself pretty full but Alfred seemed to feel like it was just a snack. It was startling how much that boy could eat. He ate a whole large pizza on his own before eating another two giant bowls of pasta. Then to top it off, he scoffed down three sundaes and he still wasn't full. "Hey Artie, can we go in there?" He pointed towards a game store which looked like a place I'd stick out like a sore thumb in. However it did give me an excuse to attend to my list.

"You can, I'll get some of my stuff while you're in there." I looked around to find the first place I wanted to stop by.

"I went into your bookshop."

"Yes, but there was something that would interest you in there; there is no point in me going to a place I would just stand around in when I could get something done in that time." He just seemed a little confused. "God, you're so idiotic. I'll be in that store over there, when you're finished come find me." And with that I was off, heading in the direction of my pointing finger as I showed him where I'd be. I don't think Alfred was happy with my decision but I didn't look back to see how he took it.

The door creaked as I pushed it open, the all too familiar sights and smells hitting me full impact. I let the door fall closed behind me as I walked up to the desk. As I approached it, I found a man crouched behind it, searching. I chuckled and cleared my throat making my presence known. He jumped and hit his head on the shelf he was rummaging under before groaning in pain and slowly ascending. "Sorry, how can I help you?" He blinked a couple of times before lifting a few loose strawberry blond strands of hair out of his eyes. "Oh hey Arthur, what's up?" He smiled and leaned on the counter, looking up at me.

"Nothing much Vlad, you?"

"Not really, are you here just to see me or~…" He waved his hand in the air as if urging me to make my request.

"No, I need a few things." He nodded and smirked standing up straight and waiting for me to continue. "Yeah so I need some bleach, coke…"

"You finally ran out then." He interrupted me halfway through my short list. "You've had that stock for years."

"Yeah, I guess we were seventeen, right?" He nodded nostalgically. It was then that a crash came from beyond the shop wall and stumbling could be heard getting louder and louder.

"Vlad; I may need a bit of help!" Soon a coughing, stony faced blonde fell out a door to the right; with a huge cloud of dust coming out after him. He struggled to his feet and brushed himself off. "Oh, hello Arthur; are you okay?" he asked upon seeing me.

"I'm good Lukas, thank you. But I'm assuming you need assistance out back." He nodded and looked back to the doorway.

"Do you mind?" I smiled and shook my head. "Thanks, let's go."

He led the way through the back, past the many shelves of some of the weirdest stuff you could find. The oddities were kept out of sight to help business. After turning a corner, Lukas stopped and looked to the floor. It was covered in powders mixed with liquids and shattered glass littering the whole scene. It was a total mess and you could see that help was desperately needed.

"I'll just say I'm glad none of this is mine." I tutted and took a good look. "Where's the dustpan?"

* * *

It didn't take that long to clean up most of it, it was where the liquids and powders combined that left tough stains in the floor boards and cement like substances that refused to come apart from the wood. "How do you propose we get this off?" Vlad asked, inspecting the emulsions and holding his hair out of his face.

"Dear lord, you need to pin that back, if not get it cut; seriously." Lukas complained, leaning forward on a broom. Letting his hair fall black into place, Vlad looked up to Lukas unamused before standing and rummaging through another shelf. "Try the one to the left." He huffed and looked to the ceiling before taking a few steps to the left and looking through the contents of the new shelf.

"There are times to be a smartarse Lukas, and there are times not to be." Lukas looked over to me and shrugged. "Then again; there's always you." He chuckled at that and got off of the broom.

"None of us have changed really, have we?"

"Not at all, oh I didn't get to ask, how's Emil?"

"He's fine; somehow he managed to become _less_ sociable. I just wish I could say the same for Mathias." He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. Sometimes I wonder why those two are together, they're polar opposites.

"Found them; let's attempt to get this off then." Vlad handed us both something to use and got on all fours. I followed suit and Lukas eventually crouched down with us as we tried to remove the 'rock' from the floor. That was when,

"ARTHUR! ARE YA HERE?!" I cringed when I heard it and the other two's faces shot up, confusion clearly visible. I sighed and stood up, placing my cleaning items on a nearby table.

"Can I get my stuff now? I also need some willow wood and that perfume, 'Belle de Violet Claire' right?" He nodded. "Okay, thank you. I'll be out front." And with that I went to stop my company from destroying the shop.

"Don't touch anything okay." As soon as I caught sight of the idiot I made sure to warn him of the delicacy of the store and everything in it. "It is an antiques store after all. I don't think anyone would truest you with anything in here." I crossed my arms and went over to where he was standing with a new bag in hand.

"Okay Artie, no worries." I rolled my eyes.

"It's Arthur, at least _try_ show a little respect." I turned around to see if Vlad had any of my stuff. I did see Vlad with my stuff, but he was a bit stunned. I could guess why. "Yeah, he's not going stop so I put up with it." I shrugged and walked back over to the desk where he had put down the bleach, coke and perfume. He eyed me strangely as he turned around turning his head to look at the shelf he was facing at the last moment.

"Hey, who's this?" Alfred had suddenly appeared next to me and was looking at my friend.

"This is Vladimir Popescu, but I call him Vlad. Vladimir is a bit of a mouthful. We've known each other… do you know how long it's been?" I aimed the last bit at Vlad who turned to look at me.

"Well; if we're twenty six now, and we became friends when we were four then… twenty two years." He then returned to the messy shelf, looking for my final item.

"Whoa, that's a long time, you guys must be close." Alfred seemed pretty amazed at the length, I've always been pretty proud of it.

"Yeah, it's always been the three of us. I honestly can't remember past four years old."

"Three?" As if on cue, just as he said that, Lukas came out from the back with his broom; probably sick of being alone. He gave Alfred a weird look before heading to the other side of the room and going through another door. I happened to know that it lead to Vlad's apartment, I live with him during the winter, but he kept most of the maintenance stuff in there.

"That's Lukas Bondevik; I've known him as long as I've known Vlad. As I said; it's always been us three. Don't get me wrong, we have other friends. I've known Francis even longer, unfortunately." I shook my head, not too sure where I was going.

"Arthur; your stuff." A brown bag was placed in front of me as well as a smirking Vladimir. "Have fun." It took me a while for me to understand what he was getting at.

"Oh fuck off." I waved my hand in dismissal and headed towards the door, deciding to ignore the laughing man I left behind. "Have fun removing the cement." And with that I was gone. I was a little way down the street when Alfred came running out of the shop trying to catch up.

* * *

Two hours later we were back in Alfred's car heading back to the coast. "I swear you knew everyone." I rolled my eyes at the repeated speculation. "Everywhere we went you knew someone." I shrugged and crossed my legs. "Seriously; you never go there, but I bet you know the guy at that game shop don't you?"

"His name is Kiku Honda, originally Japanese, moved here because of his family, been in America since he was thirteen. I met him in High school; right now he's in University studying electronics." Alfred just shook his head and adorned that overly cheesy grin.

"What did I say?"

"And your point is? I've been here since I was very young, it's only to be expected that I know a fair few people. I know people who moved away as well; school, family and all that." He just smiled and looked down the road. It was a half hour trip back to the coast and when we parked I felt relieved to be home. Looking after Alfred could really take it out of you, he was like a Coke bottle stuffed with Mentos.

"That was fun, thanks dude." He slapped me on the back before I opened the door to get out. It stung; it seemed he didn't know his own strength.

"Yes, no problem. Sorry for dragging you to the strange shops, duty calls though does it not." I grinned briefly before exiting the vehicle. Alfred did so too, leaning on the roof while I moved around to the boot.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you back?"

"I'm sure. I don't really want you knowing where I live just yet. I also live within walking distance so I'm fine." I transferred my items that were in his bags to my own before lifting them out and pulling the boot closed. I started to walk off when Alfred called back.

"See ya tomorrow!" I groaned and looked at the floor.

"Alright."

* * *

**There, done. When I was introducing Norway and Romania I ended up typing their human names and Browsing Google images for the two, I have now been enlightened to the really ****attractive men that are those two countries. I have officially decided to write a proper fic about the magic trio because they are all awesome. I hoped you like it though, I had fun writing it and including everyone I could without making the number too large. (Honestly, the only people I could see running a bookstore in Hetalia are England and Estonia, so Estonia it was.**

**Translations****. There weren't many this time around but there were a few, some of which are just things I want to explain.**

**Sí - yes in Italian. You should know that**

**Belle de Violet Claire - I made this up with my French knowledge. It literally translates into Pretty Light Purple. I thought it sounded girly. The idea was that it had good properties for the stuff Arthur does for work. I'M not going to specify.**

**Coke with Mentos - for those boring people who doesn't know what happens when you put a mint Mento into a bottle of Coke, what happens is that they react so violently that the bottle ****erupts like a brown, plastic ****volcano. The more Mentos the more fun and danger of hospitalizing someone with flying plastic moving however fast it's going.**

**There we go, I hope you like reading this! We'll pick up soon. It's not going to be long; I was planning about seven chapters or so. The next chapter will be a time skip tho. Oh well, see ya! This was Alpha, so long and thanks for all the pasta!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys. I'm back again. This was so much fun to write and the ideas just kept on coming for it. Unfortunately the story doesn't have **_**that **_**much of a good plot but it's cute and planned. There's going to be a long end A/N about translation and things I've used in plot, just a warning. Also, I forgot to do this when i first uploaded this, but Andrie is Moldova and Rumen is Bulgaria. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading.**

**...**

"So we're going to Arthur's place, dreapta?"

"It has the biggest garden, it's huge. Husker du?"

"A da, right I forgot."

"I never remember agreeing to this, why can't we go to yours? Surely you have more space."

"I have two other obnoxious men living in my home; there may be more space physically but _not_ theoretically." I sighed in defeat knowing that once Lukas had made up his mind there was no changing it.

"Fine but you two are paying; I'll expect every penny back."

"Da, da indifferent." Vlad waved his hand in response, fine with the aspect. He didn't really appreciate his family's wealth and status. "You give me the bill, I'll handle it."

I rolled my eyes before picking up my cup of tea and taking a sip, smiling as the taste registered in my mouth. I placed it back on the saucer and looked up to my two friends. "It's been a while since we've been here, hasn't it?"

"Too right, I've missed this place's cake." Vlad agreed, defiantly stuffing a large forkful of said cake into his mouth, beaming afterwards with his cheeks stuffed. I chuckled and looked to Lukas who had his eyes glued to his phone again. "Put that thing down Lu, talk for once. What's so important?" Lukas ignored him and started to do something or other, panicked. "Luke..."

"I somehow put Mathias in charge of the washing I left on when I came out, how could you let me do this? I'm pretty sure the house will be flooded when I get back. Det var dårlig nok siste gang, hvordan kan jeg gjøre det på nytt..."

"Lukas…" I put my hand on his shoulder which made him jump and look directly at me. "Emil is home, right?" He nodded and started to visibly calm down. "You trust him right?" He nodded again. "And I know for a fact that he is competent enough to do laundry and stop Matt from doing it." Lukas smiled and shook his head.

"Sure, I guess you're right. Takk…" He put his phone back in to his pocket and picked up his neglected drink. "Are we inviting anyone else this year?"

Silence fell.

This celebration tended to be a special time for us three and we hadn't invited anyone else since we were kids and our parents had to be there to supervise. "Maybe we could; we never have." Vlad piped up, smiling in curiosity. "I don't see why not, apart from the fact that we haven't before. It's usually been a private matter." We contemplated it for a while before I came to a conclusion.

"I think having a few more people present would be a nice change. We don't have to do it again right? The only downside might be that Vlad has to pay more." I looked over to him only to see that the smile hadn't faltered. "The only question is who."

More silence.

"I could bring Matt and Tino, I doubt Emil or Berwald will be interested in dancing."

"I'm sure Andrei will want to come, he always wants to go. I could ask Rumen but I don't think he's that big into dancing either, no point in not asking I suppose."

"I'll probably ask Liz, sorry Vlad. And I'll probably ask Kiku, he really likes this sort of thing… oh and Alfred maybe?" The others shot me strange looks at the mention of his name. Lukas seemed unhappy with my decision but Vlad on the other hand was staring at me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable.

"So you took my advice then?"

"No! Hell no! Shut up Vlad!" I realised my volume when I looked around to see the attention I'd drawn. Making small apologies to those around us I sunk back into my chair, embarrassed. "He just doesn't leave me alone; I guess he's grown on me." I shrugged and shot daggers at Vlad who was laughing to himself.

"If looks could kill," Lukas chuckled. "I still think he's too energetic though." This time I turned to look at Lukas, hoping my expression said something along the lines of 'are you kidding me?' "Fine, I guess I can't complain. How many does that make?"

I started to do the mental calculations. "That's… well, including us that makes ten. That sounds manageable." I smiled and clapped my hands together. _I have some work to do. _We spent the rest of the morning deciding on who was doing what before I realised I had to get back to the coast. "Sorry lads, I have to get going. Half day." They smiled and bidded me a good bye as I made my way out.

...

I arrived a few minutes later after the short walk down to the promenade. I went straight to find Liz and make sure she could come as soon as possible. "Liz!" I called as I spotted her heading up to the tent.

"Good afternoon Arthur, ready for a long seven hours trapped in a stuffy room?" She smiled sweetly as I came up next to her. "Oh right, you have air circulation in your area of the tent." She smirked again showing mock envy.

"Very funny, but I was wondering if you wanted to come to my place on the 23rd."

She stopped and looked at me slightly stunned. "Midsummers eve?" I nodded and raised my eyebrows a little confused at her reaction. "Is that not private between you, Lukas and Vladimir?" realization washed away the confusion as I took note of how people view this night for us three. We do stuff we couldn't do in public, namely dark arts related stuff (although I wouldn't be caught dead dancing), but other people celebrate it too; in England…

"We thought we'd invite a few close friends for a change, I figured it would be something you'd enjoy." She seemed to light up at that and began to hop along on the balls of her feet. "I'm glad to see that you're excited. We normally meet up at nine or ten, at night that is."

"Okay, I look forward to it, that'll be fun. Köszönjük!"

We reached the tent and parted ways on a happy note as I made my way around the back. Unsurprised by it, I was greeted by the sight of Alfred sat on a bench, apparently playing something on his phone. I cleared my throat making my presence known and his head shot up, the usual smile bright enough to blind someone. "Hey Artie, wassup."

"Haaa, it's 'what's up' you dolt. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come to mine on the 23rd." His smile fell and I wondered if I said something wrong. "You don't have too, obviously. It's just that Vlad, Lukas and I celebrate Midsummers eve every year and we were going to invite others for a change. I just thought you'd appreciate…" I was cut off by his laughter, of which made me jump. I hadn't yet heard him laugh like that and he laughed so obnoxiously it was unbelievable, however somehow it was endearing.

"Calm down dude, that would be awesome. It will force you to tell me your address." I grimaced, just now figuring out that afterwards he would know.

"Yes, anyway; I was also wondering if you might help me beforehand. The bonfire is going to have to be bigger this year so I could do with some help."

"Sure dude, I'd love ta'." I grimaced again at the grammar.

"Anyway, goodbye. I'll see you this evening if you have anything to say about it I'm sure. I still don't see the point in you stalking me though." And I entered the tent.

...

I leant against the gate as I pushed it open, hands occupied by the many branches I was trying to stop from falling to the ground. It flung open easier than I expected and I stumbled, struggling to stay upright. My foot thankfully shot out behind me and I regained balance. I carried on up to the every end of the backyard before dumping my cargo on the ground near a large pit. It wasn't long before another bundle of wood was dumped next to mine as Alfred had made his own way up a little way behind me. He looked around my garden, seemingly impressed. I was pretty proud of it; I worked like a dog on it when I could.

"Nice place dude, I see you like gardening."

"Definitely, I find it very relaxing. Unfortunately I don't always get the time." I walked over to the rose bed and looked down at it; looking for the ones in full bloom. "You know, this is actually important to the procedures tonight." I felt his gaze move to me as he expected me to say more. "We're going to need to cut a few later. It's a shame, I'm rather fond of these, national flower of my country after all." I shrugged and turned to leave again, going to get more wood.

Once we had moved all the twigs, branches and logs from my car to the bottom of the yard we moved inside to wait until late evening. "Hey Artie, why's everyone coming so late?"

"Because we do everything at midnight, and we figured out a few years back that being a bit drunk makes the experience better." My thoughts shifted to the drinks I had in the freezer outside and that they'd need to be brought in soon.

"Really? How is it any better?"

"Because dancing while sober gets old the older you get. That's until you dial down the self-consciousness." I looked over to him on the sofa as he leant back slurping his coffee. "We decided to limit it to two bottles or glasses or whatever until after midnight though." I blushed a bit at that, memories coming back from the origin of the rule.

"Why; are you a crazy drunk?" Alfred raised an eyebrow and I did everything I could to avoid eye contact. _More than crazy. Try uncontrollable._ "I'll take that as a yes." I huffed and sunk deep into my armchair.

"Why don't you shut up and watch some TV, I'm going to read." I stood up and headed upstairs to fetch a book. When I got back downstairs I found that Alfred had easily worked out how to turn my TV on. We sat in silence for an hour or so which was unusual for the boy who constantly tried to pick up conversation. I checked the time realizing that it would get dark soon and bookmarked the page. I made my way to the front door, reaching for the garage key before exiting. I realized that the car was still out as well and quickly drove it into shelter before taking the drinks out of the fridge in there.

"You could have asked for help." I yelped and jumped out of my skin, extremely close to dropping the glass bottle packs in my arms to the concrete floor.

"Jesus Christ Alfred, don't do that!" I panted and did my best to slow my heart rate which had sped up times three. "If you insist on helping, take these." I held out the bottle and he eagerly took them, but maybe he was a bit too eager. Before I knew what had happened I was being tugged off balance and falling painfully on top him. The bottles smashed, glass going everywhere and the liquid soaking into our clothes.

"Ow… sorry man." Alfred sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. As he rose I went with him, having landed half on the floor, half on his chest. I felt a sharp pain in my hip and I straightened up. It took a while to actually register what had happened but when it did, along with the awkward position, I leapt to my feet; instantly regretting it. I nearly slipped for starters and the pain in my hip just intensified when I put weight on it. I winced and clutched my side in an attempt to help the pain.

I began to struggle out of the garage, grimacing in pain with every step. Just before I reached the entrance I felt support as Alfred held his arm around my back, obviously not having hurt himself so bad. "Thanks." I muttered as I slung my own arm around his shoulders, allowing myself to put my weight on him.

"Dude, I'm _so_ sorry. I really didn't mean to… I think I grabbed your sleeve…"

"Just shut up and get me to the kitchen." Soon enough I was slumped on a chair, arms crossed as Alfred looked at my hip.

"Well… it doesn't look _that_ bad, minus the giant bruise forming. You just shouldn't stand up."

"Nonsense, I still have work to do." I attempted to stand up only to be sat back down by forceful hands.

"No, you're gonna stay here. I'll clean up the garage and bring the rest of the drinks in." I sighed and rolled my eyes, looking towards the stairs, remembering something.

"At least get me the crutch in the guestroom." Alfred turned to me, perplexed. "I have an old crutch in the guestroom from when I broke my ankle last year." His mouth morphed into an 'oh' and he rushed upstairs, soon returning. As he leapt back through the door he held the crutch above his head triumphantly. I rolled my eyes before saying "Put the crutch down, you aren't Link." He stared at me, a surprised smile on his face.

"You play Legend of Zelda?"

"Yes, with Kiku. I'm twenty six not sixty." Once he lowered his arm I accepted the crutch and got to my feet, looking down at myself, heart sinking at the thought of the drawbacks.

"Ah well, let's do what we can.

...

Ten rolled around quickly and all of the guests had arrived in quick succession, each gasping slightly when they saw my condition. I waved it off, masking my disappointment. We started to get the bonfire going at half ten and it was roaring in no time. Liz helped me cut the roses, they were put into a small vase ready for anyone to take when midnight hit. We all moved out into the garden and watched as the bonfire heated and lit up our surroundings.

This was an extremely fun and peaceful night normally, but having more people to enjoy it was nice. Seeing other people have fun at a celebration very few people actually celebrate. At eleven Vlad decided it was time to dance, having had more than a bottle of wine on his own (the special Romanian stuff he favours of which I have a stock of in the attic). The movie was upbeat and it took a while to get everyone parading about the fire in fits of laughter, somehow Liz and Vlad were dancing instead of fighting.

I was watching the scene when Alfred came to sit next to me as I couldn't dance. His hair was sticking to his forehead and he was trying to catch his breath. "It's such a shame… you can't join in… this is a lot of fun…" He looked down at me and smiled, leaning back on the bench he moved out shortly after the accident for my use later.

"I know, imagine this when Vlad, Lukas and I were just six… it was probably better than being drunk but this is still fun." I smiled nostalgically, remembering something. "Look here…" I leant across Alfred to grab one of the roses out of the vase. "A rose picked at midsummer will last until Christmas." I held it out to him and he took it, smiling.

"Thanks dude, I still want you to dance though." We looked over to the others circling the raging inferno. Liz and Vlad seemed to be battling over who pulled who around, laughing at each other when they fell over in the attempts. Mathias was dragging Lukas around in circles energetically while he was struggling to keep up, stumbling, but smiling in glee all the same. Kiku was happily twirling Andrei as he giggled in delight, Kiku seeming a lot less reserved than normal. Tino was jumping circles around Rumen who was reluctant to dance but laughing at the smaller blonde's antics. No wonder Berwald favoured him so much.

"I know…" I smiled and leant back, crossing my legs. "It was definitely a good idea to invite others; I know we'll be doing this again next year." I was looking forward to it already.

I was taken off guard when I felt Alfred grab my hands and lift me to my feet. "Come on, let's dance. You might not be able to put weight on your legs but who says you have to." He laughed that obnoxious laugh and wrapped his arms tight around me, hoisting me up.

"Alfred this is dangerous! And _highly_ improper! Put me down!" I started to squirm against him but his grip was too tight as he turned me around and around him, my vision becoming blurred as the dizziness hit me full pelt. I held on tighter as he refused to stop. "Alfred STOP!" He stopped instantly and looked at me concerned. The nausea passed quickly and I clung to Alfred for support. "Thank you… now, be a bit gentler." He beamed, understanding what I was getting at.

He continued to spin me in circles, but slower. A pace I was fine with. It was definitely awkward, being that close, but in an environment like this it didn't really matter, especially with alcohol in our systems. I managed to get a glance at my watch and noticed that midnight was fast approaching. I managed to get Alfred to put me down before having everyone calm down and sit by the fire.

"Do you want me to hand them out?" Lukas asked. I nodded as he started to offer everyone one of the roses, obviously not everyone took one and there would have been many left over afterwards even if everyone _had_ taken one. We had cut far too many.

"Artie, what's that for?" Alfred hadn't taken one as I'd given him one earlier.

"This is usually done by young girls but I've done it every year. You pull out the petals and scatter them around you then chant the rhyme:

_Rose leaves, rose leaves,_

_Rose leaves I strew._

_He that will love me_

_Come after me now_

Then, the next day, their true love is meant to visit them. It's a silly tradition but I hold it close. It holds memories. It's funny actually, Lukas met Mathias on Midsummers day after doing it; and look at them now." I gestured to where the two were sitting. Mathias had his arm securely around Lukas' shoulder; Lukas was snuggled up against his side preparing to pick the petals from his rose.

"Aww, that's adorable." Alfred cooed over the two, smiling sweetly.

"Yay, its midnight!" Eliza yelled happily as she started plucking the petals from her rose and throwing them all over the place. Tino, Lukas, Andrei and Kiku followed suit; myself slowly doing the same but letting them flutter gracefully to the ground by my feet. I joined in as the others started to sing the rhyme, throwing the stem into the bonfire once finished. Everyone cheered as Vlad turned to me for the thumbs up.

We moved everyone around to sit around the bonfire calmly, faced into the flames at a safe distance. "Wadder we doing Artie?" I stared at him, waiting for him to realize his mistake. "What. Are. We. Doing?"

"We're honouring what the day is actually about. It's generally associated with witches, magic and faeries; dancing as well." He just stared at me, not quite understanding. "We're going to throw fruit into the fire. We decided to modernize the old rituals and just made them a bit more… childish I guess." I shrugged before hobbling off.

I showed Lukas where the fruit was and he helped me carry it out. Everyone got a bit and soon the whole lot was melting in the ditch. "Why do you do this? We could be eating that." Alfred complained, watching the mushy food.

"Because faeries love fruit, that's why."

"And they like it after it's been thrown in a fire?"

"Don't be a twit, we aren't finished." I sighed and accepted as Vlad handed me a range of large jars containing liquids and powders in a large range of colours. "Here." I handed Alfred two of the jars containing a bright bubble-gum blue powder and another with bright white crystals. "Be thankful it's my turn to change the colours this year."

He took the jars and looked at them in wonder. "Change the colours?" I smirked and took the lid off of the jar with clear liquid in it. I looked inside, swished it around a while before tipping half of the contents onto the wood bit by bit. The fire suddenly roared ferociously, the others gazed in awe as the flames turned a bright purple. A little bit of chemistry always comes in handy. "MY TURN!" Alfred seemed exited as he wrenched the lid off of the jar with white crystals in it.

"Only half of it okay, we need the rest later. And wait until the purple dies down, the alcohol is a bit dodgy sometimes." He nodded and poured as much as he could get away with into the fire after the orange had begun to return to the flames. As soon as he did the inferno flared up again and turned a vibrant red, earning more fascinated 'oohs' and 'aahs'. We went through all the colours we could, green, bright yellow and orange and blue, before I passed around the rest of the jars with the remaining chemicals.

"Okay, pour them all in at once!" Vlad instructed everyone as he got ready. Simultaneously everyone who had a jar dumped the remaining contents into the pit. It lit up all different colours and, feeling satisfied with the night, I leant back on my hands watching as the colours went crazy and merged. The flames reached high into the sky, absolutely stunning.

The colours died out and the flame returned to its natural colour, which was Vlad's cue to start the music up again and return to the crazy drunk he was. I laughed and returned to my feet, getting out of the way. After an hour or so of more dancing, and of being forced up again and again by Alfred or Vlad or Mathias or who ever happened to be a bit too drunk at the time, everyone started to go home. Alfred was last to go as he helped me extinguish the fire and remove any harmful waste left behind, washing it out to be safe.

I put my head to the pillow that night, exhausted and ready for rest, wondering who would knock on my door later on.

...

I woke up, groggily sitting up and blinking the sleep from my eyes. I went around the normal morning routine, avoiding all of the mess from the previous night. As I was brewing my tea I looked to the clock on the oven, sighing when I realized that noon had already passed; so I went about making a sandwich.

However just as I sat in my armchair I heard a persistent knocking at the door. With a grunt, I got up, trudged towards the door and opened it, a tired scowl plastered on my face.

"Hey; I was wondering if you needed help cleaning up some more."

"Urgh, come in Alfred."

...

**Yay, that was a lot of fun ****(:**** I love this chapter and that I got to do a lot of fun research. **

**Midsummers**** is actually celebrated here in England, mainly in London, Cornwall and the West Country in England (I don't live in these areas though). It isn't widely spread but seemed so appropriate for the magic trio to celebrate as it's associated with witches, magic, faeries and dancing as Arthur said; and that it's England. Young girls do actually do that rose thing but it's just a fun game and superstition. The bonfire is lit to help power the sun as after the summer solstice (longest day of the year, 21****st ****of June) as it becomes darker earlier and earlier each day. Also, the rituals done to honour the witches and faeries are really occult and I couldn't find much on it so I made something up.**

**Translations**** – in order of appearance**

Dreapta? – Right? (Romaninan)

Husker du – Remember (Norwegian)

A da – Oh yeah (Romanian)

Da, da indifferent – Yeah, yeah whatever (Romanian)

Det var dårlig nok siste gang, hvordan kan jeg gjøre det på nytt – It was bad enough the last time, how could I do it again (Norwegian)

Takk – Thank you (Norwegian)

Köszönjük – Thank you (Hungarian)

**If I got anything wrong please feel free to correct me. With the long one that Norway spurts out at the begging, that's my way of conveying the panic. He starts talking his native tounge instaed. I have a chinese friend and she did this once when she was half asleep.**

**The fire stuff ****is all true. If you add different substances to fire you get these colours and by adding all at once, the areas that the chemicals are will light up the specific colour creating a rainbow. Here's the key if you want to do it yourself (Do it, it's so much fun.)**

**Red – Strontium salts (Commonly found in flares)**

**Orange – Calcium Chloride (Like in limestone or limewater)**

**Yellow – Sodium Chloride**

**Green – Boric Acid (an antiseptic, also found in insecticides and considered safe in kitchen so yeah, it's safe)**

**Blue – Copper Chloride (I doubt you haven't heard of this, I for one have it lying about the house for some reason but you can buy it online I think.)**

**Violet/purple – Alcohol (Most alcoholic drinks will do.) This one actually burns blue on a clear flame though, the yellow in a natural flame turns it purple.**

**Do this though; it's a lot of fun.**

**Anyway, if you skipped then no matter; I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter. I'll hopefully be producing a one shot on New Year's though, I'm finding it hard to keep a straight face while writing it. So this was Alpha, so long and thanks for all the pasta~!**


End file.
